


humanity

by mickelclirffed



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Grizz and Sam will be together in this, Harry isn't as horrid, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other, Protective Siblings, References to Depression, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sibling Love, Siblings, Slow Build, Slow Burn, The Society, i adore Grizz so i made him a sibling, i think he'd be a great brother, im not kidding, lots of fluff, super long chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-12 10:44:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19130437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mickelclirffed/pseuds/mickelclirffed
Summary: Whenever something huge changed in books, movies, and television shows, nobody ever expected it. In dystopian settings or natural disasters, nobody knows that their lives are going to change drastically.The students of West Ham didn’t expect that leaving for a simple field trip would change their lives either.ORTwo siblings' lives have been turned upside down. They've got to stick together.previously named "societal values"





	1. Chapter 1

Whenever something huge changed in books, movies, and television shows, nobody ever expected it. In dystopian settings or natural disasters, nobody knows that their lives are going to change drastically.

The students of West Ham didn’t expect that leaving for a simple field trip would change their lives either. 

The days leading up to this change were no different than any other. In the mornings, Jude would kiss her parents goodbye and head to school in the passenger seat of her big brother Grizz’s car. Meet up with Sam and Becca, and go to classes. At lunch, she’d eat with Bean and Gordie, maybe chat with Kelly or Helena for a little while.

Jude went to her swim practice, attended the meeting for the captains of the team, and afterwards would wait for Grizz to finish up football practice. They’d head home together for homework and dinner, Jude would study for her upcoming test (emergency medicine this time), and they’d go to bed. Wake up, repeat. That’s how it went nearly every day.

Except for one night, the night of the play, “ _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern_. ” That night, “the smell” returned. They were about three-quarters done with the play, just before Cassandra and Harry’s memorable coin-flipping scene, when she smelled it. 

Jude gagged dramatically in the dark of the backstage, where she was snapping photos and assisting the stage managers. Allie just rolled her eyes playfully back at her.

“I thought they got rid of that,” Jude complained in a whisper. Allie sighed and shrugged, looking down at her clipboard.

“ _Where’s Harry?! He and Cassandra are on in a minute!_ ” The stage manager hissed into the mic, alerting the two girls through their headsets. They turned to each other, Allie gazing at her with pleading eyes, and Jude nodded.

“I’ll go find him,” she muttered, not surprised at her friend’s absence. Occasionally she wondered why he even participated in the drama program, but she just reminded herself it was because Kelly was involved.

Jude rushed through the halls behind the stage, searching the dressing rooms and practice rooms before reaching the exit door at the end of the hallway. She pushed open the door to the outside and sighed as she spotted the said couple just outside the door, Kelly holding her nose.

Jude smiled and waved quickly at Kelly, before turning to the other. “Harry,” she started, “You and Cassandra are on in a few.”

His lips twitched up slightly as he opened his mouth to thank her for the warning, but before he could say a thing, Cassandra nearly tackled Jude as she rushed past her.

Jude, being smaller than all three of the older students, stumbled slightly before rounding on Cassandra with a glare.

“There you are,” Cassandra breathed, not paying any mind to the shorter brunette.

Harry scoffed, “What, student body president wasn’t enough for you? Now you’re hall monitor too, Cassandra?”

Jude raised a brow at his quip, and he almost looked apologetic for a second before turning his gaze back to the blonde. Most people in town and school had a soft spot for Jude, even the notorious asshole Harry.

“We’re on in a minute, Harry,” Cassandra complained, gesturing back to the hallway.

He glanced at Kelly and Jude before speaking, “Yeah, Jude was just saying that before you nearly squashed her,” he grumbled, though a smile ghosted his lips teasingly as he looked to Jude. She sent him a faux glare before Cassandra groaned, squeezing her nose.

“Is that…?” Cassandra started. The small group offered slight a slight, “yeah,” all sounding dejected.

“I’m surprised you didn’t smell it earlier,” Jude said to the older girl before hearing the stage manager demanding Harry and Cassandra’s presence in her ear.

Grimaced at the volume and moved her hand to the headset, effectively muting the manager. 

“You all better get inside,” she stated, grabbing the door and pushing it open further to allow them access before ushering them in. After the actors had shuffled into the school and started down the hall, Jude offered one last glance outside, wrinkling her nose at the stench. _Gross_.

 

~

 

Luckily, besides the perpetual stink hovering over every inch of the town, the rest of the play went without a hitch. After comparing the photographs Jude had taken backstage with the ones Becca took from the audience, Jude decided to call it a night. She gathered her things and headed out from behind the stage and into the auditorium, nearly ramming into Sam on her way to find Grizz.

“Sam!” She signed and spoke, “I’m so glad you got to come. What did you think?”

He grinned, hugging her, before signing back himself, “ _It was very good, my parents translated for me_ ,”Jude nodded with a smile, which he returned.

“ _Think you’ll be the leading actress in the next play_?”He teased, nudging her. She chuckled as she nudged him back, “Yeah, I don’t think so. Better luck next time.” He laughed back before his parents appeared behind him, tapping his shoulder and signing to them that they were leaving. The two shared a quick hug before she continued on her search for Grizz.

She spotted him ahead, lounging on a ledge with a few of his football friends, Kelly, Harry, and a group of girls and more athletes sitting above them. Cassandra, Allie, and Will were standing before them.

As she approached, she heard Grizz speak to Cassandra, “Oh, by the way, Cassandra! You were really, _really_ great tonight,” he said warmly.

Jude grinned to herself, forever proud of her big brother’s unconditional kindness. She guessed Cassandra offered him a smile as she moved to leave, Allie and Will in her stead. She turned her gaze back to her brother, who had just spotted her and beamed.

 He was standing to the right of Clark, who nursed a bag of Cheetos, and Harry and Kelly sat to Grizz's right, on the ledge.

Jude moved to his side, and Clark side-stepped after giving her a small wave to allow her access to her brother, turning to talk to the group of girls and athletes seated behind them. 

Grizz wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him. The two siblings had always been close, they were each other’s best friends, only being a year apart. 

“Did you get some good pictures, sis?” He asked quietly, as their friends continued their conversations around him. 

She grinned and nodded in reply, fingers brushing over the camera hanging from her neck. On top of being a co-captain of the swim team, and helping plan prom, she also partnered up with Becca to photograph extracurricular events, like the play. 

“I might show some of them to you tomorrow, once I have them all sorted. Bec and I hope they’ll be good enough for the yearbook page,” she turned and gave him a small smile. He smiled back. 

“Alright kiddo, are you coming to this party?” He questioned. She shook her head, “I’m gonna head home now. I wanna get a good night’s rest before the field trip.”

He nodded, winking, “Smart. I’ll see you at home, then. You have the car, right?"

“Yeah, have fun at the party,” she said, pulling away with a pat to his chest and jingling her keys in the air. Before leaving, she raised her camera and flashed a picture of her brother, who made his goofiest face at her, crossing his eyes and curling his lip up. Jude grinned at the screen and snickered.

She waved goodbye to Clark, but before she could make it five feet towards the exit, she heard her name being called. Turning, Jude’s dark eyes met Kelly’s, then Harry’s.

“Hey Jude, are you coming to the party?” Kelly asked kindly. She and Kelly weren’t best friends, but they were fairly close. Deep down, Kelly was truly a sweet person. Jude tended to see the best in people, which is why she was friends with Harry, as aloof and pretentious as he could act. She trusted Kelly’s judgement, as well as her own. Somewhere in there, Harry was a kind person. Their friendship was part of the reason Cassandra was a bit cold towards her, regardless of her friendship with Allie. Harry and Cassandra were rivals in every way.

“Not this time, it sounds like fun though,” Jude offered with a smile.

Harry made a sound of protest, “Aw, c’mon. Why not?”

She smiled slightly and raised her camera and waving it a bit, “I’ve got to get these photos edited and then head to bed. The field trip’s tomorrow, remember?”

“Of course I remember. That’s not gonna stop me from getting totally wasted,” Harry teased, causing the athletes sitting above him to proclaim their agreement, quite loudly. 

Jude rolled her eyes, shaking her head and mouthing “ _boys_ ,”at Kelly, who giggled.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Jude waved, before snapping a picture in Kelly and Harry’s direction. Kelly made a kissy face while Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulder sticking his tongue out towards her as if he was gonna lick her cheek. She squealed and swatted him away, all of them laughing.

“See you later, Jude,” Kelly fought out between laughs. Jude sent a wink over her shoulder as she exited.

 

~

 

The next day was relatively uneventful since the students going on the field trip weren’t required to attend classes. Most of Jude’s morning consisted of packing her bag, and Grizz double and triple-checking that she had everything she needed.

“Yes, I’m all packed, _mother_ ,”she teased after another one of his checks, “I even made a list, see?” She scolded, presenting him with the paper. What amused her the most was that their own mother simply left them to their own devices when it came to packing.

He only grunted, a smile ghosting his lips, “I just have to be sure. You’re awfully forgetful,” he said, poking her on the forehead. She swatted his hand away with a grin, immediately knowing what he was talking about.

“It was one time. One time!” She cried.

“The amount of times someone forgets their underwear for a family backpacking trip should be _zero_ , Judith,” he scolded. She gasped dramatically.

“Don’t mock me, Gareth,” she retorted, ushering him out of her room, “I was _nine_! I think I deserve a free pass.”

“I’ve been quoting Shakespeare since I was nine, you have no excuses.”

“I _will_ broadcast that photo of you in a boa when you were tap dancing,” she threatened.

“Hey! You wouldn’t dare,” he gasped, “You were in that same tap dancing class with me!”

“At least I was smart enough to refuse to let mom and dad take a picture of me!”

Now standing in the hallway outside her room, he grinned and rolled his eyes, “Go finish packing, you little gremlin.”

Now, she was approaching the greens where all the students were supposed to meet, her backpack balanced on her shoulders. She and Grizz had already wished their parents goodbye, her mother whispering “Have fun, sweetheart,” into her ear and her father telling her to not get into “too much trouble.” (Too which she responded innocently, “And how much is that?”)

Now she walked beside Grizz and his band of goons; Clark, Jason, and Luke. They weren’t the smartest, but they had been friends with Grizz since he started football in middle school, and she spent a lot of time with them by association. She knew of the fundamental distance between Grizz and his friends. He loved them, he truly did, but there was a clear, stark contrast between him and the boys.

“All right, last one for a week,” Grizz stated firmly, handing a joint to Luke, “We don’t wanna start a forest fire.” Jude snorted at that.

“Hey,” Luke suddenly spoke, stopping and turning towards the red-brick of the church they were passing, “What’s that?”

Jude and Grizz turned to see what the interruption was. In neat, dripping white block letters against the red brick, were the words, “ _Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin_.”  Jude squinted, stepping closer as she read the message.

“Uh, graffiti,” Clark offered.

“Yeah, I know it’s graffiti man,” Luke grumbled, “but when was the last time you guys saw graffiti in this town?”

“About three seconds ago,” Clark answered intelligently. 

“It’s the writing on the wall,” Jude suddenly said, sounding distant as she read it over and over. She turned to catch her brother’s gaze, who looked just as bewildered as she did.

“Yeah, no duh,” Clark mocked. She rolled her eyes, but Grizz beat her to the retort.

“That’s what it’s called. ‘The writing on the wall’? From the book of Daniel.” Grizz pointed to the writing, “‘ _Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin_.’” 

“Why do you two always know shit I don’t know?” Clark mumbled.

“It’s nonsense,” Jason stated nonchalantly, blowing on his own joint.

“It’s Hebrew, Jason,” Jude retorted. 

Grizz nodded, “It means, ‘You’ve been weighed in the balance and found wanting.’”

“No, it means…” Clark drawled, “Someone was definitely fucking high last night,” he chuckled lowly at himself, heading towards the meeting area.

“You’re so stupid,” Jason laughed, tackling Clark from behind as he and Luke followed.

Jude stood at Grizz’s side as they gazed at the writing for a moment more.

“Weird,” she whispered, looking to him. His brows raised as he let out a breath and nodded in agreement, throwing an arm around her shoulder and leading her to follow the others.

After several more minutes of students saying their goodbyes to their families, Jude found herself seated next to Grizz, surrounded by other jocks, with Becca and Sam in the seat across from her. In front of her sat Kelly and Harry.

Jude engaged in conversation with Becca and Sam for quite a while after the buses departed until Grizz offered her one of his earbuds. She grinned and settled down farther into her seat as Sam and Becca continued the conversation on their own.

“Jude,” Grizz said quietly, looking towards her.

“Yeah? Everything okay?” She asked.

He nodded, smiling weakly, “I’m just glad you get to come with me on this trip. A couple of years ago, you wouldn’t have even considered it.”

“I’m glad too, G,” she said softly, smiling. It was true. The start of freshman year, for an unknown reason, Jude found it more and more difficult to get out of bed each day. She found nothing she loved fun anymore. She stopped hanging out with Sam and Becca, Kelly, Gordie and Bean. She stopped swimming every morning and even stopped playing catch with Grizz and his goons in the backyard.

Almost as quickly as it started, her parents found her professional help, and she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

Apparently, it ran in the family. A lot of the women on her mom’s side were affected by it. Luckily, Grizz was there for her the whole time, holding her hand and guiding her when she needed him. They had grown so close after that, nearly inseparable, although it was true that they were already inseparable before.

Now, a few months into junior year, she was miles better. Her family and friends stuck by her the entire time, never letting her slip into more darkness.

Kelly turned around from in front of her and offered her a grin as if sensing the gratitude coming from the siblings. Jude let out another smile and leaned over, resting her head on Grizz’s shoulder to get a nap before they arrived. In turn, she felt him rest his head on hers.

 

~

 

It must have been hours later when Jude awoke to a collective groan from the other students on the bus, probably just waking up too. She nudged Grizz awake so she could sit up, stretching her back as she looked out the window into the darkness.

“Change of plans,” the driver called from the front of the bus once most of the students were conscious, “Rockslides, the road is closed, so you’re back home.”

Her brows furrowed as she looked around, murmurs of annoyance echoing throughout the vehicle. How is it possible that _every_ student had fallen asleep too?

“What’s happening?” Grizz grumbled, still waking up.

“Apparently we’re back home,” she replied as she looked ahead, watching students depart the bus.

Slowly, they all filed off of the vehicle, onto the wet grass of the greens they met at earlier. For some very strange and undiscovered reason, instead of their parents greeting them, they were met with a light sprinkle of rain. And nothing else.

“That’s odd,” she said, “Wouldn’t they have told our parents that we were coming back?”

Grizz set a hand on her shoulder as he came up beside her, looking around.

“Well, it doesn’t look like anyone was expecting us,” Cassandra announced, standing at the head of the group.

The doors of the buses squeaked as they closed and the vehicles pulled out as soon as the last student exited.

Jude turned to face Grizz as he pulled his cell phone out, dialling their mom. She was quick to follow his example, calling their dad from her own phone. Her frown deepened as the line didn’t stop it’s ringing, and from the look on Grizz’s face, he had similar results.

She whipped around as she heard a curly-haired girl named Emily speak.

“My mom’s phone, it just keeps ringing.”

“Maybe everyone’s asleep,” she heard Helena say from a few feet away.

Campbell, who was standing a little ways away near Becca and Sam, suddenly turned around, “Well, I’m going home,” he announced as he pushed past Sam. 

Jude narrowed her eyes as Sam caught his shoulder, saying something she couldn’t hear with a hurt look on his face. Campbell had never treated Sam very well, and their relationship couldn’t be any more of a polar opposite to hers and Grizz’s.

“Jude, let’s just head home. Mom and dad are probably just asleep already,” Grizz said, crossing to stand in front of her. She nodded distantly, unable to help the anxiety that crept into her due to the odd situation.

“Hey,” Grizz said, stepping a little closer, “It’s fine, you know how early they go to bed.”

She met his eyes and nodded, laughing weakly at his quip, so he smiled and ruffled her hair.

The walk back to their home wasn’t necessarily a long one, but it sure felt longer than usual with the building suspense around the fact that not a single parent showed up for their kid. 

None of the lights were on as they approached the house, not even the porch light. Jude couldn’t help but hold her breath as Grizz fished his key out of his backpack and unlocked the door.

“Mom? Dad?” They both called out into the darkness, Grizz flicking the lights on as he passed the switches. There was no reply.

Jude almost jumped out of her skin as her phone started to ring, and Grizz chuckled lightly at her as she pulled it out to answer. He started to wander the rooms, in search of their family.

“Hello?”

“ _Jude? Um, are your parents at your house?_ ”

“Hey, Bec. No, it doesn’t look like it,” she replied as Grizz returned from searching the rooms, shaking his head.

“It was completely dark when we got here.” She added and heard Becca sigh from the other line. 

Grizz sat casually on the floor, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he leaned against the wall. He seemed to be receiving a plethora of messages as well.

“ _No luck here either. My mom wouldn’t just up and leave without leaving a note or something at least. And her car is still here, which is super weird too._ ”

“Same here,” Jude sighed, looking out the window to check the driveway.

She quickly pulled her phone from her ear as it dinged with messages from a studying group chat she had with Bean and Gordie.

“Gordie and Bean are in the same situation. The messages are green though. I don’t think I have any data. This is really weird, Bec.”

_“I know, it’s making me feel a little ill.”_

Jude would’ve laughed at Becca’s nonchalant dramatics if the situation wasn’t so odd.

“If you don’t want to be alone, you can always come crash with G and I,” Jude said softly, glancing up at her brother, whose face was illuminated by the screen of his phone.

“ _Thanks for the offer, Jude, but I’m already settled in. I think I’ll be okay for now._ ”

Jude nodded before realizing Becca couldn’t even see her. “Yeah, of course. Let me know if you need anything.”

Jude sighed after hanging up her call with Becca.

“The strangest thing,” Grizz started, still looking at his phone, “Is that we still have contact with each other, but nothing else is working,” he turned his phone towards her, presenting a news webpage they used often, but was completely blank except for a loading signal that never seemed to end.

As she gazed at his green, a message from Luke popped up at the top. She pursed her lips as she read the message for him.

“Looks like we’re supposed to meet back at the greens.”

 

~

 

“Hey, so, who decided that we needed a flash mob?” Jude called as she approached the group with Grizz and Clark, who met up with them on the way.

“I did!” Cassandra called back, turning towards them from where she stood, speaking with Helena, Allie, and Will.

“What the fuck, Cassandra?” Grizz snapped, hands jerking in his pockets.

“Better than two-hundred people sending texts,” she retorted, “Has anyone been able to reach anyone?” She asked, addressing the group as a whole this time. Unfortunately, everyone responded the same way.

“No-one?” She asked slowly, looking surprised. The same response came.

“Okay… Well, there’s - there’s definitely… a simple explanation,” she said, almost nervously.

“Like what?” Jason challenged, sounding grave.

“Um, they-” she paused, brows furrowed as she thought, “they were evacuated. After we left. And there was a miscommunication and we were brought back here by mistake,” she offered.

“Someone would still answer a phone,” Kelly rebutted matter-of-factly, crossing her arms.

“Maybe they’re asleep,” Cassandra shrugged, sounding exasperated. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re someplace with no reception. They’re in a shelter with… no reception, or something.”

“Or something,” Jude muttered under her breath, leaning her forehead on her brother’s upper arm, suddenly feeling very drained.

“In the morning, someone will answer a phone,” Cassandra said hopefully.

“Maybe it’s not safe for us to be here,” a thin-haired blonde girl said quickly. Elle, Jude thought her name was, “If they all left.”

“A couple of hours isn’t going to make a difference,” Cassandra informed, brows raised slightly, voice raising a fraction to speak over the panicked murmurs of the group.

“We’ll figure this all out in the morning. Right now, we should just… uh, go home. Yeah, we should go home,” she trailed off, then started loud again, “And anyone who doesn’t want to… uh, be alone, can come back to our house, yeah?”

Jude huffed but appreciated Cassandra’s offer for the kids who didn’t have close friends or siblings to go to.

“Is that your advice, Cassandra?” Harry called out from his spot beside Kelly. His dark eyes watched the blonde dangerously.

“Yeah,” she stated simply, with a nod. “Yeah, yeah Harry, yeah. Just go to sleep.”

Cassandra’s uncertainty about the whole situation put Jude on edge as Grizz linked arms with her, sensing her discomfort.

“Let’s go, G,” she grumbled, spinning them around to head back home, Clark on their heels. She spotted Kelly talking with Harry a bit to the side and offered a smile when the couple looked to her.

“Hey, um, I think we’re gonna have a little party. No parents, and all, and I think a distraction from the weirdness might do us a bit of good. You three in?” Kelly asked them, Harry hung back next to her with a smirk planted on his face, not really looking as concerned as he did moments ago.

She cocked an eyebrow as she turned to Grizz, who shrugged and nodded in return. Jude didn’t bother looking to Clark. That boy never refused a party.

“I guess so. There’s nobody here to catch us.”

Kelly nodded. “Cool, so,” Harry started, checking his watch, “Back here in thirty.” He met the gaze of all of them before heading off with Kelly, who grinned and waved.

Jude gave a little smile as she addressed Clark and Grizz, “Let’s go get ready, boys.”

 

~

 

“The fuckin’ church is open!”

Teens cheered as the raced towards the church, drinks in hand, threatening to spill. Jude let out a startled laugh as she watched them, looking to Becca and Sam who stood next to her with their eyebrows raised as well. She fit herself in between them and linked her arms with theirs. She was truly glad for the distraction.

“Shall we?” She asked, turning her face towards Sam so he could read her lips.

“I suppose,” Becca groaned dramatically, but she too had a small smile on her face.

Maybe an hour later, Jude was waving her body smoothly to the beat of the music, surrounded by a hot, sweaty sea of bodies. She sipped her third drink, a once-cold beer, as she swayed with Kelly and some other girls, giggling constantly.

“What the hell?” Jude heard Kelly suddenly grumble from where she had abruptly stopped her dancing.

“What, what’s wrong?” Jude slurred a bit, freezing as well and following Kelly’s gaze. “Shit,” she muttered, spotting Harry getting a little too friendly with another girl and their beers.

She glanced back at Kelly, suddenly feeling pretty sober, and squeezed her arm. Kelly glanced at her and tried for a grateful smile, but her anger didn’t allow it. She left the dance floor abruptly, but Jude knew better than to follow.

She heard Harry calling after a furious Kelly as she too left the dance-floor, but quickly forgot about the situation as she spotted a lone Sam sitting in the pews, drinking his own beer.

After escaping from the overwhelming heat of the dancefloor, she slid into the seat in front of him, turning around and draping herself over the back of the bench. Her breath was mildly labored, the exertion from dancing and the mix of alcohol exhausting her.

“Seems a little bit sacrilegious, don’t you think?” She signed and spoke, gesturing to the screaming teens, who have probably spilt more alcohol than they’ve actually consumed. Sam grinned back.

“ _I don’t know, this seems like my kind of religion._ ”

She pretended to be shocked as she reached out and gently swatted his shoulder, “Sam! You heretic!”

He laughed, causing her to grin. Sam was one of the sweetest boys she had ever met, and she absolutely adored him. Seeing her friend laugh or smile always made her heart swell.

“Where’s Bec?” She asked.

He sighed and shrugged. “ _She was recording the Harry and Kelly drama earlier, but she has disappeared since._ ”

Jude smiled softly, “Not surprised. This has never really been her sort of thing.”

“ _I know. Total party-foul._ ”Jude snickered at his jab at their friend.

“I don’t blame her. These things are usually a lot less fun than you think they’re gonna be.”

“ _I don’t know what you’re talking about. Clearly, I’m having the time of my life_ ,”Sam threw his arms out from where he sat, alone, to gesture to the mess of a church. Jude let out a loud chuckle, shaking her head.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, she spoke up. “Hey Sam, I’m gonna go get some air, okay? I’m still overheating from dancing so hard,” she laughed, and he nodded with a smile, patting her arm.

She shuffled out from the pew, striding down the aisle towards the door and grinning at those who greeted her as she passed.

She let out a relieved sigh as the cool night air blessed her hot skin. Around the corner, to the side of the building, she heard a couple of voices. She recognized one as Grizz’s, and the other as Clark’s, so she started to head to check it out.

“It’s gone,” she heard once she rounded the corner, spotting Grizz, who pointed at the wall.

“What?” Clark grumbled.

“The writing on the wall,” Jude spoke up as she reached them, effectively startling the two boys. It would’ve been funny, considering the size difference between her and them, but she was too preoccupied with her drunken bewilderment as she examined the wall.

Grizz nodded once he shook himself out of the scare of her sudden appearance, “It’s gone.”

Clark looked up, and stared a moment, before speaking, “Yeah, of course, it is. They cleaned it up. This is West Ham. If it’s ugly, it’s gone,” Clark explained.

“Then why are you still here?” Jude asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of her drink. Grizz snorted and shoved her shoulder at the quip, but Clark turned on her, a playfully murderous look in his eye.

She squealed and shoved her drink into Grizz’s hand before taking off, Clark close behind her.

“I’ll get you for that, Pipsqueak!” He called after her.

“You’re a bumbling oaf, Clark! I’m too quick for you!” She slurred a taunt, as she zig-zagged across the greens, towards and around the gazebo, hardly being able to hold her composure at the sound of Grizz’s hysterical laughter from where they left him.

It took several minutes, but Jude finally managed to outrun the unrelenting football player using her endurance from the swim team, but even so, she was exhausted now.

She slumped against Grizz, who apparently thoroughly enjoyed witnessing her run for life, since he found himself a seat on the grass as he watched them. Clark decided to lie face-down on the ground on the other side of Grizz.

“I need… bed,” she grumbled.

“Yeah,” Grizz laughed, “I can tell.”

In response, she threw herself backwards, sprawling on the cool grass. She grinned as she gazed above her, the stars particularly bright tonight.

“I remember when we used to do this all the time with mom and dad,” Grizz recalled, slowly laying himself down, too. “Every hiking or backpacking trip, we’d make a point to stargaze.”

Jude grinned at the memories of late nights in the wilderness. Her smile faded slowly as she remembered their situation, even through her drunken haze.

“Hey Grizz,” she started quietly, turning her head from the stars to look at him. He kept his face upward, the moon lighting up his pale, freckled skin, soft smile, and forever bright, hazel eyes. “D’you think we’ll ever get back to them?”

He sighed, his smile fading as well, and turned his head to meet her gaze, “I don’t know, kiddo. I don’t know.”

 

~

 

The next morning, Luke showed up at their door with Harry and Clark, all pretty hungover, asking Grizz to join them on a trip to Greenwich to find help, to find people.

They all stood on the porch as they spoke. “I’ll come too,” Jude offered, wincing at the headache that pounded against her skull at the sunlight outside but wanting to help any way she could.

Harry offered her a tiny smile but shook his head, “I only have four seats in my car, Jude.”

Luke scoffed, “Look at her, man. She doesn’t take up that much space.” Harry sighed but nodded, unable to fight that logic with a hungover brain. He simply gestured for the group to follow.

And that’s how Jude found herself comfortably seated between Grizz and Clark in the backseat of Harry’s convertible. Harry drove, she knew he would never trust anyone else with his precious cars, and Luke took the passenger seat.

“Okay, so as a rule, the more bizarre a thing seems, the less mysterious it is,” Grizz explained to Clark. Jude took in Clark’s blank look and frowned.

“Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,” she told him, but Clark just stared at her before reaching forward and whacking Luke’s shoulder, “You know this shit?”

Before Luke could even say “no,” Clark continued with an exasperated mumble, “I don’t know this shit.”

“How about Sherlock Holmes?” Grizz asked. Jude smiled, recalling the day that Grizz excitedly stormed into her bedroom, shouting about some genius detective/forensic book.

“The point is, there’s an explanation for everything.”

“What does that have to do with that Arthur Conan Boyle dude?”

“It’s _Doyle_ ,”Jude corrected with a laugh.

Grizz grinned too, looking to Clark, “And you’re hopeless, dude.”

Clark didn’t react, his eyes set ahead, and Jude frowned before following his gaze.

“Oh, oh shit…” Harry said, letting the car roll to a stop. Ahead of them, the road cut off completely, overgrown by dense, dark forest. The previously smooth asphalt was upended in chunks, as if the forest had crashed into it at full speed.

“What the fuck is going on?” Luke cried. Jude hoisted herself up by the shoulders of the boys beside her, hoping for a better view. The road that they had used the buses on just the night before had been completely blocked off.

Harry nearly threw himself out of the driver’s seat and rushed several feet forward, as if hoping it was some sort of mirage.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jude whispered, lowering herself back into her seat.

They all watched in tense silence as Harry inspected the area, even going so far as to scrape the junction between the road and the forest with the sole of his shoe. He turned back to the group, a frightened look in his dark eyes.

Once back in the car, he immediately turned the engine back on and whipped the car around, accelerating very quickly. They sped through town, heading for the only other known exit in West Ham.

After only a few minutes of screeching tires and sharp turns, they reached the bridge overhanging the railroad on the other end of town. As Harry screeched to a stop, Jude saw that this exit had the same fate as the last one.

“What the hell?” Luke exclaimed as they all hopped out of the car, heading to various spots on the bridge to assess the situation.

Jude peered over the left edge, where the railroad supposedly ran perpendicular, but that was cut off too.

It looked like it had been abandoned for hundreds of years. Jude turned to Grizz, her mouth parted in confused shock. He nodded in understanding, the same bewilderment dictating his expression.

 

~

 

Luke and Harry immediately contacted the main group of teens that had unanimously taken the lead. Cassandra, Allie, Will, Gordie, Helena, Campbell, and Kelly were all texted.

“I mean, there’s only so many options,” Gordie said, once the group had arrived and silently assessed the predicament. Now, they all sat in a loose circle. Perched on the car or the barrier in front of the sidewalk, some on the curb. Some were too nervous to sit and stood instead.

“Maybe we’re dreaming,” Allie said distantly, fiddling with her necklace, but when several people gave her incredulous looks, including Jude, she shrugged defensively, “It’s the best option.”

“Maybe,” Harry started, “This is just some… elaborate fucking game.” He said, sounding peeved as he gazed around the group. “Like, someone built an exact replica of our town and just put it in the middle of nowhere, and if we just… walk…” he looked around, pointing after he pushed himself off of the hood of his car, “Like, this way, or that way, or any way, we’ll eventually get back to the… the real world.”

Jude sighed from her spot next to Gordie and Kelly, watching Harry carefully. Part of her hoped he was right, that there was truly some way to get back to where they came from, even if it did involve an ungodly amount of walking into unmapped territory.

“I’m not saying it makes any sense,” Harry continued when nobody responded.

Cassandra moved closer to the group from where she stood behind the barrier, seeming like she was gathering herself before she spoke. “There was a smell… and then it went away. And it came back, and the buses came for us…”

“Yeah, you’re gonna just work this out, Cassandra? Like some logic problem? I mean, ‘not a flicker of a doubt?’” Harry snapped, referencing their scene in the play.

“Harry,” Jude grumbled softly in warning, “We’re all confused here.” Her voice wavered slightly at the end. Jude wasn’t even sure why she was defending Cassandra, but she herself was frightened, and she was sure everybody else was too.

Cassandra nodded slowly, “The world doesn’t just turn upside-down without a reason,” she explained, “We’re not in some play-within-a-play, okay? Clever is not the same thing as true. There is a point to everything, there are answers.”

Jude nodded at that, recalling her and Grizz’s talk to Clark about Doyle only half an hour prior.

“That’s right,” Helena chimed in, “God doesn’t just play games with people for fun.”

Jude heard Luke sigh before he spoke, “Alright, look. Grizz, Jude, and I will get a group together and we’ll go hike out in the woods, okay? Like a search party.”

Jude appreciated the fact that Luke already knew that Jude wouldn’t allow her brother to hike into unknown territory without her. As many backpacking trips and hikes they went on with their parents, they knew to stick together.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Helena agreed.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Cassandra asked, sounding concerned.

“Yeah, sure,” Grizz answered quickly, looking to Jude and nodding.

“Yeah, they know what they’re doing,” Luke started, gesturing to the siblings, “And if there are people out there, we gotta find ‘em, right? You know, to get help.”

Luke stood from his seat next to Helena and approached Grizz, presumably to talk about the search party.

“I’m leaving,” Harry stated suddenly, turning back to his car, “I’m hungry.”

“You’re leaving?” Allie exclaimed, annoyed.

“Yeah,” he said matter-of-factly, “I got a house, with a refrigerator with food inside of it, and I’m gonna go eat it. Luke?” Luke turned mid-conversation to answer to Harry but was interrupted before they could continue.

“You can’t just leave,” Cassandra cried.

Harry sucked his lip in, seething, “Well, what are we supposed to do instead?” He snapped.

“We have to figure out what is happening to us,” Cassandra stated, matching his tone.

He didn’t bother meeting her gaze, “You’re not student council president anymore.” Jude couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that.

“God! You really, really need to get over that!” Cassandra cried. He didn’t acknowledge her as he turned his gaze to Kelly.

“You coming with, Kel?” He asked, gesturing to the convertible. She didn’t meet his gaze as she turned her head away. “No.”

“Jesus Christ,” he breathed, moving towards her.

“Leave her alone,” Will snapped.

“Hey, fuck off, Will,” Harry spat. Kelly kept her gaze to the concrete, causing Harry to throw his arms out and storm back to the car.

“Fine. Who gives a shit?”

After Harry made his dramatic exit, the rest of the group dispersed, annoyed after Campbell snapped a picture of the new forest trapping them in this place. He effectively, and deliberately caused complete chaos and panic with a single message to the mass group chat.

On the walk back home with Grizz, dozens of kids whizzed by on their bikes, back the way the siblings came. To the bridge.

“Should we head into the store?” Grizz asked, bumping shoulders with her, “Get some food before we head out on that search party?”

Jude shook her head slowly, “I think too many people will have the same idea. It’ll be a riot. Maybe later?”

He exhaled deeply through his nose and nodded, scuffing his shoes against the pavement lightly as they walked side-by-side in companionable silence.

Only a minutes later, he spoke. “I think we’re lucky. A lot of the kids here are pretty much alone now. But you and I, we’ve got each other. I mean, some people have a girlfriend or boyfriend to rely on, some have best friends, but not all of them. And even then, those people aren’t always reliable, you know? So yeah, I think we’re lucky.”

Jude grinned at his slight tangent, which she knows he tends to go on when there’s a lot on his mind, so she reached over and pinched his bicep through his shirt.

“Tsk,” she scolded, waggling her finger at him, “‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.’”

He smiled softly at her, “Seneca?”

When she nodded, he bumped her shoulder, “Shut up, nerd. You know what I meant.”

She grinned and let out a laugh, throwing her head back. “Me, a nerd? And who do you think made me that way, nerd?”

He scoffed and shook his head, looking forward. “Dunno. They sound like a drag, though.” She laughed again, feeling a little bit lighter than she did earlier.

“Oh, hey, I’ve got an idea. I don’t think that any of these kids will think to hit up the drugstore, maybe we can pick up some flashlights and batteries, stuff like that? Some necessities,” Jude suggested.

Grizz nodded, “You go on ahead, I’ll meet you at home. I’m gonna find some people to go on that search party.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder and pecked a chaste kiss to the top of her head. “Meet in an hour?” He offered.

“See you, then,” she waved as they parted.

 

~

 

Jude pushed open the glass door to the drugstore, the bell jingling above her head, only to be greeted by a loud clanging and voices near the back of the building.

“This thing is fucking indestructible.”

Jude’s brows furrowed as she weaved through the aisles, heading toward the sound. As she neared her destination, she spotted Gordie, who turned and smiled wanly at her arrival.

Ahead of them, in front of the metal gate guarding the medications, was Cassandra, struggling with the lock.

“Do you have, like, a drug problem or something?” He asked carefully.

“Depends on what you mean by that,” Cassandra snapped, grunting as she continued to work the lock.

Gordie crept forward as she turned to look at him, noticing Jude, but turning back to him to speak. “What? I’ll tell you later,” she said softly, before snapping, “Can you just help me?” She grunted again, whipping around when Gordie didn’t say anything.

“What?!” She cried, and that’s when Jude noticed.

“Your lips, Cassandra, they’re blue,” she said quietly, stepping forward. Cassandra’s face contorted to one of panic as they spoke.

“Yeah, you look- you look blue,” Gordie said gingerly.

“Yeah, I’m sweating, um,” she looked away as she felt her face and neck with the back of her hand. Jude’s eyes widened, “Cassandra, your heart,” she cried, rushing forward to examine the girl.

Cassandra nodded, “Can you take me home? I have to go home…” Jude nodded, wrapping her arm around the girl’s shoulders.

Right now, it didn’t matter what tension was between them. Cassandra needed her help. Years ago, Allie had confided in Jude about her sister’s condition. The poor girl was terrified for her sibling.

Jude was deeply empathetic towards the siblings. If it was Grizz, Jude would have lost her mind.

“Hey, what’s going on right now?” Gordie interrupted, looking very concerned. Cassandra sighed and pulled her shirt collar down, revealing the puffy, pink scar running vertically above her sternum.

“It’s a congenital heart defect,” Cassandra explained, tears filling her eyes. A look of understanding passed over Gordie’s face. “Can you guys just please… take me home?” She asked, her voice cracking.

Jude nodded quickly, starting to lead the girl towards the exit. “Of course we will, we’ve got you.” Gordie jumped into action, shuffling to Cassandra’s other side to support her.

Once they reached her house, they watched as Cassandra dug through her bags, dumping out containers of medication in her search for the correct ones.

“I ditched my check-up for this trip,” Cassandra grumbled from her seat on the bathroom tiles, surrounded by pill bottles as she opened each one and peered in. Gordie sat in a chair outside the bathroom door, watching her closely, while Jude stood at his side, her hand on his shoulder.

Jude sighed, “Cassandra…”

The older girl just shook her head, “I don’t know where I put my pills… I can’t find them.” After a quick moment of silence, her voice trembled, “I’m gonna fucking die.”

“Come on, don’t say that!” Gordie cried, “Look, we’ll break into the pharmacy, even if we have to blow it up.”

“Okay,” Cassandra breathed, gazing at him, “Thank you.” She grabbed another bag and shook it out. “What if things don’t go back to the way they were?”

“Of course they’re gonna go back to the way-“

“Don’t give me a fucking speech, Gordie! You have no idea!” Cassandra snapped venomously. Gordie looked away guiltily and Jude frowned, squeezing his shoulder encouragingly.

Cassandra looked guilty too, for a moment, before speaking, “And… I have a pacemaker.”

“Oh…” Gordie whispered, taking in the new information. “Okay,” he said, sitting up, speaking with newfound confidence, “If it turns out we’re stuck here, whatever the fuck that means… If we can’t go back home, if this is our new home, then… Then I’ll learn how to take care of you. Jude will too, she’s taken every medical class available at school.” Jude nodded, smiling slightly.

“And we still have books. I know how to read medical textbooks. We can study, there’s still a hospital,” she chimed in.

Gordie nodded furiously as he watched Jude speak, “You have to stay alive,” he said to Cassandra, “Or else we’re all fucked.”

Cassandra smiled, chuckling softly at the two. Jude spoke, “All our differences aside, Cassandra, you’re our leader now, and I trust how you do things.”

Gordie smiled, “Look, everything happens for a reason,” he told her softly. Cassandra nodded, looking back to the pills surrounding her. Jude jumped as her phone dinged in her pocket. She spoke to the other two as she checked it.

“Hey, Grizz and the search party is heading out in a few. I’ll see you guys when I get back with them,” she said, patting Gordie’s shoulder. He caught her hand as she turned to go.

“Be safe, okay? You’re the closest thing we’ve got to a doctor,” Gordie said quietly.

“Grizz and I have been exploring the wilderness our whole lives, we’ll be just fine, as long as we’re together,” she grinned, flicking her dark eyes between the two, landing on Cassandra, “Feel better, okay?”

Cassandra smiled wryly and nodded, shooing the younger girl away.

 

~

 

Merely a few hours later, Jude was deep in the forest with Luke, Emily, Grizz, Gwen, and a boy and a girl Jude didn’t know. Thankfully, Grizz had told them to pack enough supplies to last them until New Haven, though they all hoped that they wouldn’t have to go that far.

Currently, the small group was sitting in a circle, sharing some snacks as they took a quick break.

“All right. Here you go,” Luke said, looking to Grizz, who sat across the circle next to Jude.

“I’m Dr. J,” Luke cried, tossing a box of saltines as if it were a basketball to Grizz with a shout. Emily, who sat by Luke, released a startled laugh.

“Oh, nice toss,” she complimented with a grin, looking to Luke. “Thank you,” he grinned back.

“Who has the peanut butter?” Gwen asked the group, looking around.

Grizz spoke through a mouthful of saltines as he scanned the area, “I ‘on’t… see it anywhere,” he grumbled, voice slightly muffled. Jude snorted quietly, grinning at her brother.

“Isn’t it still in the pack?” Emily offered.

“I’ll get it,” Luke said, moving to stand up.

“No, I’ll get it,” she said quickly, waving him off.

Luke turned away, looking to Jude evilly as he chucked a piece of his saltine cracker at her. She let out a faux gasp as she pretended to be offended when it nailed her in the shoulder. Grizz let out an easy chuckle at the exchange when Jude landed a cracker right onto Luke’s forehead in retaliation.

“Ow!” Emily cried suddenly, reaching down for her ankle. The previous altercation with Luke forgotten, Jude stood immediately, braced for anything.

“What the fuck?” Emily cried, bending over in pain, “Fuck!” Jude ran forward, crouching beside the girl immediately. Luke, Grizz, and then the rest of the group not far behind her.

“It fucking bit me,” Emily sobbed. Luke wrapped an arm around her and led her away, and Jude’s eyes widened as she saw a black and red-striped glimmer slither through the leaves, away from them.

“Clear the area, would you lie her down?” Grizz ordered quickly, as Emily let out a string of curses. Jude assisted the group in throwing the packs around, making sure the snake was gone.

“Careful,” Jude instructed loudly as she worked, glancing at the girl.

“Okay, now just lie her down, and get back,” Grizz instructed to Luke. Luke cradled Emily’s head as he pulled her back towards the leaves.

“Get back, get back,” Jude snapped as the group surrounded them, shooing them off. Even Luke backed up, giving the sibling’s space.

“Oh, fuck, it’s killing me, it hurts so much,” Emily sobbed. Jude nodded quickly and clutched the girl’s hand, “We need to calm her down before we can do anything,” she whispered quickly to Grizz. He took Emily’s other hand without hesitation.

“Let’s try, hey - I’m gonna try to calm you down, all right?” He told her softly.

“We wanna slow your heart rate down, okay? Deep breaths,” Jude said softly, as Grizz walked Emily through deep breathing. Luke returned, crouching just before Emily’s head to try to calm her.

“One more,” Grizz offered, grabbing her hand, “Okay, squeeze my hand. There you go, big squeeze.” Jude felt a bit of pride swell through her at his voice, calm and collected.

“Hey, can we get some packs, please?” She asked the group, “We need to elevate her head, we want her heart above it.” The group nodded quickly, passing some packs forward as Luke gently lifted her upper body. Luke took over holding her hand as the siblings moved to assess the wound.

Jude shifted herself, placing her hands gently on the girl’s leg to examine the damage.

“Yeah, that’s a good bite,” she mumbled, “Grizz, rip some fabric for me, please,” Jude instructed. He nodded and turned away, finding some cloth to use.

“Is it supposed to hurt this much?” Emily breathed. “Only if you’re lucky,” Luke smiled at her, successfully distracted her as she chuckled. Jude smiled at that.

Grizz returned with the cloth, and the siblings made quick work of tying a tourniquet above the wound, hoping to slow the bleeding.

“Don’t worry,” Luke said calmly, “They know what they’re doing, all right? Jude here has taken every medical class available, ever,” Luke chuckled.

“That’s gonna be a badass scar,” Luke offered once the tourniquet was done. Jude took the excess cloth and gently pressed onto the wound itself, hoping to stall the bleeding even more.

“You okay?” Luke checked with her, and Emily nodded.

“Everybody else all right, you guys good?” Luke asked, looking around the group. Nobody replied.

Jude kept the cloth firmly on the wound, watching the girl carefully, frowning when Emily’s brows furrowed.

“Um, mouth is tingling,” she said quietly, calmer than before. “Mouth is… tingling.”

Jude’s heart nearly skipped a beat, her wide eyes meeting Grizz’s saddened ones as he stared at Emily.

Jude looked away quickly as Emily kept speaking. “It’s weird,” she chuckled nervously.

Suddenly, her breath became very labored, and she clawed out for Luke, “Please,” she wheezed, “help me.” The group all rushed closer, surrounding her for comfort.

Jude let out a shaky breath, “We need epinephrine, does anyone have an epi-pen?” She said, struggling to keep her voice even as she glanced wildly around at the bystanders.

Nobody replied, all of them too shocked to bother. Jude knew they didn’t have one anyway, and she couldn’t help the soft whimper as she looked at the paling girl, gasping for breath.

“It’s okay,” Luke whispered, gripping Emily’s hand tightly. He looked up at the siblings, “Grizz,” he pleaded.

“I can’t-“ Emily tried. Jude looked to Grizz, who had a distant look in his eye, his fingernail between his teeth.

Tears escaped from the corners of Emily’s eyes, “Mom,” she sobbed quietly, as Luke’s hand went to stroke her hair.

Luke backed away, pulling Grizz from the girl as Gwen took her hand. Jude followed the boys.

Grizz didn’t meet Luke’s eyes as he spoke, tears dripping down his cheeks slowly as he stared at Emily. “We’re in Connecticut man, what the fuck? There are no fucking cobras here.”

“It’s not venom,” Grizz said, hardly present.

Jude shook her head, “She’s allergic,” she said quietly. “That’s why we need epinephrine, at least,” her voice trailed, talking more to herself than to the boys.

“Listen…” Grizz said, “If this were yesterday, if we were home…” Grizz shook his head, more tears falling, “But we’re three hours from anywhere.”

Jude blinked as her vision blurred. She took Grizz’s hand in her own and squeezed, feeling only a fraction better when she felt him squeeze back, though he still seemed like he was miles away.

“And I have no idea what to…” Grizz shook his head, not bothering to finish his statement,

Luke started to shake his head furiously. “Fuck! What the fuck does that mean?”

Jude let out a shaky breath, “Her body is shutting down,” she explained quietly, “She’s- she’s suffocating.” Her voice cracked.

“What? I- I made her do it…” Luke cried quietly, looking panicked.

“You should tell everybody so they’re prepared,” Grizz explained, still looking away.

Luke whipped around, “What the fuck does that mean? You’re giving up?” He snapped, looking between the two siblings.

“Luke,” Jude whispered, “We’re so _fucking_ in over our heads.” Grizz finally looked at Luke as the other boy turned away, hands in his hair.

“Jesus fucking Christ-“

“Hey! Hey- I- I don’t think she’s breathing,” Gwen cried frantically.

“Give her mouth-to-mouth,” Luke ordered, storming over.

“I don’t think-“

“Just do it! Just blow!” Luke snapped, arriving next to the girl.

Jude whimpered and curled into herself and Grizz, who subconsciously wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close as she rested her forehead on his chest. His chin came to rest on her head as he watched the scene unfold before him.

She felt his tears dampen her scalp through her hair. They both knew there was no hope, not anymore.

The shouts of the group faded into a jumbled haze. Luke and Gwen were shouting at each other over Emily’s now lifeless body. She felt the vibrations against her head as Grizz spoke monotonously.

“We need to decide whether to bury her here or take her home… The rest is out of our hands.”

Luke continued shouting, voice rapidly increasing in volume, and Jude’s hands tightened on their grip of the front of her brother’s shirt. His other arm came around her, resting his hand in her hair seeking comfort as well.

She faded from the situation a bit, reminded of how when they were little, Grizz was always fascinated with her dark, long silky strands, and would constantly mess with it, play with it, braid it. It became a comfort for them, and it seemed that’s what he was searching for now.

But it could only last so long, Luke’s wails becoming too distracting to be at any sort of ease in the situation.

“No, no, no!”

 

~

 

“Need me to take her for a while?” Grizz asked Luke, who was walking behind him, Emily’s limp form in his arms.

Jude led the group back, Grizz and Luke behind her, followed by the rest of them.

“Nah, I’m all right,” Luke replied gravely.

“Hey, Luke, Jude,” Grizz said after a moment of silence, voice slightly shaky. Jude turned her head slightly to indicate she was listening.

“I keep thinking about…” he cleared his throat slightly, “the writing on the wall from before we left.” His voice wavered.

“You think it meant something?” Jude asked quietly. Grizz grunted in affirmation.

“Like a message?” Luke asked, “A sign from God, on a church wall?”

“I don’t know,” Grizz replied, almost inaudibly, “Yeah, maybe.”

“‘Cause that’s exactly how God would do it,” Luke snapped, “He’s a tagger.”

Jude sighed, about to retort, before Grizz spoke again, “I just got a bar of reception, we should be getting close,” he told the group as he came forward to walk side-by-side with Jude. Luke cursed under his breath and grunted as he shifted Emily in his arms.

“Text Helena,” he grumbled, “Tell her to spread the word and have everybody meet at the church. Don’t say why,” He added gravely, “We don’t need more panic.”

Nearly an hour later, the emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted group finally reached the church. Jude helped Grizz open the doors, leading the way so Luke could easily carry Emily.

Once they had swung the interior doors open, they were greeted by Harry and Kelly, who looked a bit shaken up and were followed by a large group of other teens. They were all frozen at the sight of the search party.

The crowd parted as Luke moved forward, the rest of the somber group in tow. Shocked, terrified gasps and murmurs echoed through the room.

Jude matched her step with Grizz’s, trailing directly behind Luke. Jude made an effort to keep her eyes off the body, and instead look straight ahead. Tears threatened to make an appearance again.

Widened, horrified eyes and expressions silently followed them as they passed. “Somebody clear that table,” Luke grunted, voice hoarse. Grizz and Jude quickly maneuvered around and forward to swipe the cans, cups, and bottles of beer off of the altar. They both stepped back as Luke carefully, gently laid Emily down. The occupants of the room all swarmed closer, surrounding the table from all sides.

The teens watched Luke carefully as he composed himself, turning to address them. Sniffles arose from the crowd.

“She died from a snake bite,” he announced solemnly, his voice cracking. “Um, her whole body just shut down. We did everything we could, but we couldn’t save her,” he told them, his voice trailing off near the end.

“So we’re gonna bury her tomorrow,” Grizz spoke up, fresh tears on his cheeks. Jude bit her lip as it trembled, tears escaping at the sight.

She gripped his hand again. He glanced at her, “Before it starts to smell. So I’m gonna need a couple of guys.” He turned, searching the crowd, and stopping as he found who he was looking for, the boy standing just behind Jude’s side.

“Clark?” He asked, gazing at his friend.

“Yeah,” the jock nodded, “No problem, man.” Jude reached out and squeezed Clark’s arm slightly. He nodded dutifully at her.

Luke’s breathing visibly heightened as he shook his head, looking around. “There’s nothing out there, guys.” More people started to cry. Scared, sad, and alone.

“Just a whole bunch of… just- woods, that go on forever. We’re all alone…” his head shook more as he forced his eyes to meet others, “This isn’t our home…” He lowered his head and pushed slowly through the crowd, finding a seat on the floor to mourn. She didn’t blame him for not wanting control of the situation any longer.

Jude watched mournfully as Sam and Becca stepped forward, followed by Elle, to pay respects. More unknown students gently brushed their hands along her shoulder or head, then retreated.

More tears escaped her as Helena stepped forward, caressing Emily’s face, quickly whispering a prayer.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Thy rod, and thy staff, they comfort me. My cup runneth over.”

Helena gently stroked her hand through Emily’s hair before letting out a quiet sob, backing away and rushing into Luke’s arms, burying her face in his shoulder, and his face hidden in hers.

Grizz turned to Jude, his face contorted in sadness, and despite the height difference, with her head only reaching just above his jawline, he leaned down, hiding his face in the crook of her neck as he cried into her shirt. She stroked his hair gently, tears still flowing as she watched Will slowly move forward, struggling not to cry.

She watched Allie lead Cassandra out, her arm over her shoulder as her sister leaned her weight on the younger girl.

“Let’s go home,” she whispered shakily into her brother’s hair, stroking her hand over his dark locks one more time before she pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders as she looked up at him.

He nodded slowly, hoisting his backpack higher onto his shoulder and following after Will.

They all exited the church, into the cool night air together. Kelly and Harry were ahead of them, going one way. Will trailed after Allie and Cassandra another, and Jude and Grizz broke off down their own street.

Behind them, the teens flooded out of the church, quietly, solemnly. 

Jude watched as dozens upon dozens of frightened kids spread out across the greens, and as she searched each of their scared, confused, and even blank faces, she felt the last of her hope draining from her body.

 

~

 

Jude was back in the forest, sitting in a circle with the search party, in a saltine-throwing war with Luke. The group was chuckling as they watched the two bicker.

Suddenly, Emily screamed, falling to the ground and immediately wheezing, her breaths labored.

Jude stood immediately, rushing to the girl, but freezing when she heard another set of labored wheezes behind her. Slowly, she turned and cried out when she spotted Grizz writhing in the leaves as well, his face pale as he pleaded for help.

“No!” She sobbed, running to her brother and skidding to her knees beside him.

“Please, Jude,” he gasped, clutching his throat. Jude squeezed his hand, “No, no this can’t be happening,” she sobbed.

“Make it- make it stop,” he reached out for her, gripping her shoulder. “ _Jude…_ ”

His breathing silenced abruptly. The forest around them faded away as the life, the light, the love faded from his eyes.

Dark, dead orbs stared right back at her, searing into her brain

“ _Jude_.”

“JUDE!”

She gasped, jerking up from her position, her hands flying out and clutching to whatever she could find.

Her eyes darted around wildly, searching the dark, before she registered that Grizz was hovering over her, her hands gripping his shirt. When she registered that he was speaking, his voice muffled before fading into his regular, clear tone.

“-just a dream, kiddo. It was just a dream.”

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and threw her arms around his neck, her breathing slowly calming. She realized her cheeks were dampening his nightshirt, from her tears, apparently, but she knew he didn’t mind.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered when she glanced at the clock. It was an ungodly hour, and she undoubtedly woke him up from his room across the hall.

“Don’t apologize, it’s okay,” he replied, pushing her back and holding her shoulders in a firm grip.

“You okay?” He muttered, searching her face. She nodded quickly, wiping the moisture from her cheeks and the stray hairs that attached themselves there.

“You wanna talk about it?”

Jude shook her head slowly, after hesitating.

“Okay, think you can go back to sleep?” he asked, suddenly sounding more tired than before.

She shook her head, “Not- not alone. Can I stay with you, please?” She asked. Grizz smiled lightly and nodded, pulling her up by her hand and leading her back to his room.

She crawled under the sheets on the opposite side of his bed and curled up there. He always took the right side, and she always took the left.

“Want me to read to you?” He teased, grinning at her. She giggled and shook her head. When they were younger, they’d take turns reading aloud to each other before bed, and would often have sleepovers, sometimes nightly. Lately, it seemed like they’d been falling into old habits.

“Whatever you say,” he chuckled. He found her hand under the sheets and held it tightly, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“Goodnight, G.”

“Goodnight, Jude.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ten days have passed, and not a single thing has changed.

Nobody has come looking for them, no search teams or military groups or their parents. Ten days later, and their connection with their previous reality is still nonexistent.

The streets are relatively empty. People are in too much shock, and too afraid to venture out into the place that looks like home, but isn’t. 

Every morning since Emily died, Grizz and Jude woke up together, ate breakfast together, and walked in silence to sit by Emily’s grave, just outside the church.

Someone had built a wooden cross and stuck it in the dirt as a grave marker. Others had surrounded the area with candles and framed photographs of Emily.

This morning, Jude sat in between Gwen and Grizz on a bench facing the deceased girl’s grave. Luke was crouched in front of the cross, laying flowers in the dirt. Gwen cried, staring at the shrine, and Grizz just gazed off distantly, tears always in his eyes. Jude rarely stopped holding his hand.

Irrationally, the two siblings felt responsible for the girl’s death. Though neither of them spoke these feelings aloud, they felt like they didn’t do enough.

Since her death, neither of them slept in their own bed. Each time they closed their eyes, the gruesome sight of death flashed beneath their eyelids. The nightmares of Grizz’s death continued for Jude, and Grizz had nightmares of his own. It took them hours to fully fall asleep and they never stayed asleep for long, not unless they were with each other.

Jude realized what Grizz had said several days earlier was correct. They were lucky they had each other. Jude constantly wondered how the other teens coped.

After visiting Emily’s grave every morning, the rest of the sibling’s day was spent uneventfully. They read, whether it was aloud to each other, or to themselves. A few days in, Jude found a way into the school’s public pool, and would swim for quite a few hours a day. Grizz would sit above, in the mezzanine, and occupy himself with a book.

Sometimes, Jason, Clark, and Luke stopped by the house to play catch or some video games with Grizz. Sometimes Jude joined in, sometimes she didn’t. She had gone to the hospital with Gordie and found some medical textbooks and handbooks, and made sure to spend a few hours a day studying those, taking vigorous notes.

In order to re-establish some fragment of hope in herself, Jude assisted Bean and Gordie in trying to send a message. They printed a picture of the group that was taken before they had left for their “field trip,” and wrote in thick, dark letters “WE ARE HERE.” They lit a propane fire under a balloon of foil, hoping that someone, anyone, would find it.

Now it was mid-morning, and Jude lounged on the gazebo railing at the greens, next to Gordie, who was reading some book. Helena stood a few feet away, on the steps, observing a group of students. This included a girl named Lexie, and they were all sitting in an odd formation around a circle of rocks. Every few seconds, the group would echo with a low “omm,” and speak to the sky.

Jude looked over as Cassandra and Allie arrived under the gazebo. Jude offered them a wry smile as Allie took a seat next to her.

“Useless,” Helena muttered as Lexie asked for a sign. Allie and Jude exchanged glances before looking up at Helena, who gazed back down at them, shaking her head.

“I never would have pegged Lexie for a conduit to the heavens,” Cassandra stated, sounding mildly amused.

“You have to admit, they’re fair questions,” Allie muttered. Jude nodded, “Given the circumstances.” Allie exhaled and nodded back at her.

“Hey, you guys, check it out!” A girl cried, pointing to the sky as it darkened considerably. A dark, round shape slowly crept in front of the sun, shrouding the Earth in a hazy shadow.

“We asked for a sign!” Lexie exclaimed, turning to a boy within her group. “What does it mean?” He asked.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Gordie cried, looking annoyed, “It’s a fucking solar eclipse. It’s not a sign, it’s a predictable astronomical event,” he finished, sounding less annoyed as he spoke. The teens gazed at him a moment more before turning their attention back to the sky.

“Yeah, just don’t stare at it,” Jude scolded loudly, narrowing her eyes at the people who had their heads tilted back, face towards the sky, “And we’ll be fine.” Jude frowned, furrowing her brows as she thought. Something about this seemed off, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

~

 

“They can’t actually believe that they can move the planets and the stars,” Cassandra said in disbelief.

Jude, Gordie, Bean, Becca, and Sam had all gone back to Cassandra and Allie’s place with them for a late breakfast, and now they were back on the topic of the solar eclipse.

The group was seated around the island in the kitchen. Sam sat at one end, Bean at the other, with Becca to his right, then Jude. Cassandra leaned against the side of the island while Gordie and Allie shuffled about the kitchen nearby her.

Allie passed out plates of toast, eggs and bacon, and mugs of tea or coffee for those who wanted it. Jude herself had a mint mix in her mug.

“It makes them feel better,” Allie offered.

Jude nodded, “I guess it doesn’t have to do much more than that,” signing for Sam’s sake.

“I hope it works for them,” Bean said quickly, but solemnly, “I’d like to find a way to feel better too.”

“I like the eggs,” Sam said to Gordie, motioning to his plate, “Coffee too.” Jude and Gordie smiled softly as they gazed at Sam. “I feel better already.”

She exchanged a glance with Gordie, both smiling wider before Gordie turned back to pouring coffee into his mug.

“Alright,” Becca stated, signing as she spoke, “We’re headed back to town hall to see what’s hidden in those files. Why this place is exactly like home, except with no parents, and no smell,” she explained.

“Maybe it was our parents who stank,” Allie joked. Cassandra chuckled, “Yeah, yeah, that would explain it.” Sam smiled at them.

“A parallel universe,” Gordie said suddenly, looking at the group. He turned to Sam, attempting to sign, “Uh, we’re in a parallel universe… Or… Maybe, I don’t know.” He trailed off, sounding sheepish as the door squeaked open and shut again.

“Where have you been?” Allie scolded playfully as Will entered the kitchen, taking a seat next to Jude.

“Scoping out a new house,” he said matter-of-factly, “That big place on Carlyle is empty.”

“The Gershenson's’?” Cassandra asked, sounding less than pleased.

“Fuck if I know,” he shrugged with a dry laugh, “It’s mine now.”

“Oh! Plus,” he threw his leg up onto the island, narrowly missing Jude’s mug of tea as he showed his foot off, “I got some new kicks.”

“You can’t do that,” Cassandra was quick to scold.

“Why not? My old heel’s coming loose.”

“You can’t move into someone else’s house,” she bit back evenly, “Do you want to prove Harry’s point? That we can just start taking things from each other?”

“The place is empty,” Will defended, “It’s nobody’s house-“

“Will,” Allie sighed.

“What?” He snapped, “Easy for you to say, you’re not fucking homeless.”

“Will, you aren’t homeless,” Jude said softly. Allie glanced gratefully at the girl before looking back to Will meaningfully.

“This place is as much as yours as it is ours.”

“That’s kind, without really being true,” he retorted.

“Mhm,” Cassandra grumbled, disbelieving, “Will…”

“What?!” He snapped as if responding to a persistent parent before giving in, “Okay, I’ll think about it. I’m keeping the shoes, though.”

“Those shoes are pretty cool,” Becca offered quietly, a weak smile on her face. Will turned to her and grinned.

“Okay, so we have all agreed,” Cassandra announced, pointing to everyone in the group, “We need to check out the water and the power plants."

“And figure out how much food we have, like a food census,” Gordie chimed.

“I can do that, yeah,” Will volunteered, raising his hand slightly.

“Me too,” Allie said quickly, gazing at him.

“Do you two mind if I lend a hand?” Jude asked, looking at the pair, “I’d like to feel a little more useful.”

"You've done plenty," Gordie interjected, but Will nodded anyway, and Allie smiled in confirmation. “Together,” the blonde said, nodding at them.

“Um, maybe we should be more low-key,” Becca said to Cassandra, “Some people could freak out.”

“No, no,” Cassandra said immediately, “There’s no reason to freak out, we’re just doing inventory…” She paused and looked down, “No, I’m the problem. I get their backs up, just went too fast when we first got here.”

“No you didn’t,” Allie said, almost sounding amused.

“Yes, I did. I obviously did,” she sighed, looking up at the group, “Okay, this can’t look like it has anything to do with me. I need to lay low for a while.” At that, Cassandra left the kitchen, effectively disbanding the group. 

“Well,” Jude turned to Allie and Will as people started to leave, “Ready to get this party started?”

 

~

 

“It seems bigger when you think about counting it all up,” Allie frowned as she took in the mess of the grocery store. Cans, bags, and boxes littered the floor. The aftermath of the frightened teens.

Will, Allie, and Jude all had their backpacks strapped to them, containing their laptops for counting.

“Just wait till we get to the warehouses out on Boundary,” Will exclaimed, “You know what I think we should do?” He asked, turning to the girls.

“Split up,” Allie nodded with a smile.

“You choose,” Will told them.

“I guess Jude and I can split up the smaller stores around town if you stay here,” Allie offered, looking to Jude, who nodded.

“All right,” Will said as he backed away, “Hey, inconspicuous, remember?” He ordered, looking between them.

“I know how to be invisible. I’m sure Jude here does too,” Allie snarked. Jude chuckled and nodded as she shuffled out of the grocery market, heading to the smaller stores she had in mind.

 

~

 

After successfully taking an inventory of a small bakery-deli, Jude was headed off to find Gordie, who had called her while she was counting and asked to come help with Cassandra’s “doctor’s appointment.”

As she was on her way to the Pressman household, she passed Harry, who was filling up one of his many fancy cars with gas.

“Skipping town?” She called as she approached, grinning, “Where do you think you’re gonna go? To the other side?”

“Ah, a weekend jaunt to the coast,” he grinned back. “Gah, take me with you,” she swooned dramatically as she stepped closer to the car.

“This town, it’s nice, but it gets old pretty fast,” she said.

He smiled again as she arrived in front of him, “We’re playing Fugitive tonight. It’s gonna be a huge game, with the whole place to ourselves and all,” he smirked, “You should come play with us, Grizz is. And there’s a party at my house after.”

She chuckled, “The only time I would willingly run is if Clark was on my ass, and I don’t think my good old Honda Civic really makes the cut for cop.”

“You can be my partner if you want,” he winked, patting his car, “I need a lookout.”

Jude frowned slightly, “What about Kel?”

He looked away, his smirk fading quickly, “Yeah that’s not- that’s not really a thing anymore.”

Jude wished she could say she was surprised, but truly, she wasn’t. Kelly was bound to grow out of him sooner or later, as unfortunate as it was.

“I’m sorry to hear that Harry,” she paused, cracking a weak smile, “I’ll think about it, I am the single greatest lookout, ever, after all.” She then turned her back on the boy, determined to not be late to meet Gordie and Cassandra.

She could practically hear the grin as he called out to her, “See you tonight, then.”

She rolled her eyes and waved him off without bothering to turn around. Gordie was waiting.

 

~

 

When she arrived, Gordie was waiting for her outside the front door, a stethoscope around his neck and backpack on his shoulders.

“Sorry if I’m late, Gordie, it’s been a busy day,” Jude apologized as they headed into the house.

“It’s okay, really. Did you find any information on how to help her?” He asked hopefully as they reached the stairs.

Jude laughed dryly, “I didn’t find much. Obviously, I won’t be giving anybody an open-heart surgery anytime soon, but I have notes for you so you can give her basic physical examinations to make sure everything is going as planned,” she explained, pulling her backpack off of one shoulder to hold it in front of her, digging through the contents for the papers as they reached Cassandra’s room.

Gordie knocked lightly on the open door, and Cassandra turned slightly, “Hi,” she spoke simply, “I thought you were researching alternate universes.” Jude chuckled but was concerned that Cassandra wasn’t aware of her own check-up.

“Um, Bean can handle that. Jude’s been using the books from the hospital library to research heart rhythms, and I went to your doctor’s office, and look what I found,” he grinned, holding up the stethoscope.

Cassandra’s brows furrowed, “You wanna listen to my heart?”

“I’ve been trying to practice, but it’s hard to hear your own heart,” Gordie explained sheepishly. Jude couldn’t help laughing again.

“Well, I am the patient, after all,” Cassandra said, sitting up straighter, moving her hair back.

Gordie slid his backpack off and moved forward as Jude shuffled through her notes. He kneeled in front of Cassandra, setting the stethoscope into his ears.

“Okay, Gordie. You’ll want to set it just above her heart, make sure the pacemaker and her heart, preferably both, are at about one-hundred and twenty beats per second. You can count the beats, I’ll time,” Jude instructed from memory, the lesson from a sports medicine class flooding back from years ago.

Gordie nodded and set to work, as Jude focused on her watch. After a few seconds, of rustling, Cassandra cleared her throat, “Well?” Jude looked up at the two.

“Don’t move so much, and don’t breathe,” Cassandra froze, “I mean, it’s rustling all the fabric, all I can hear is your shirt.”

This time, Jude managed to hold back her laughter. These two were helpless. Apparently, it wasn’t common sense to stay still when getting your heart beat measured, but the fact that Gordie told her to stop breathing would’ve had Jude in tears.

“Yeah,” Cassandra muttered, then chuckled, “This is ridiculous.” At that, Cassandra unbuttoned the top of her blouse, allowing Gordie better access to her heartbeat. Jude almost felt like she was imposing, before reminding herself that this was purely medical. Years ago, Gordie had confided in Jude about his small crush on Cassandra, and it was amusing to see him so flustered, but she was proud that he kept his cool.

After Gordie successfully checked her heart rate, clarified with Jude that it was correct, Jude conducted the rest of the physical exam using her notes and teaching Gordie at the same time.

Once that was finished, Jude followed Gordie and Cassandra as she walked them out.

“It looks like everything checks out, you should be okay for the next few weeks without another check-in,” Gordie informed as he helped Jude organize her paperwork and store it in her backpack.

Jude nodded in agreement, “We’ll keep reading up on your condition, just in case. But really, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about if you keep taking your medication consistently. Be sure to reach out to us if you run out of meds or have any concerns, okay?” Jude instructed, surprised at how professional she sounded. According to the look on Gordie’s face, he was impressed too.

“We’re gonna go dig through some files at your doctors’ office, see if there’s anything we can find that’ll help us out. We’d like you to meet us there in about an hour,” Gordie explained.

Cassandra grinned, “Okay, cool. I’ll see you two later.” Jude nodded and she and Gordie stepped out, Cassandra shutting the door behind them.

“Gordie…” She started, as they headed in the direction of the doctor’s building.

“Don’t,” he grumbled, already knowing she was gonna say but smiled a little as he glanced sideways at her, “You’re becoming _quite_ the medical professional, Jude,” he teased, effectively changing the subject. She felt a slight blush warm her cheeks. 

“It’s what I’ve always dreamed of…” she smiled softly, “I’ve always wanted to help people, and taking all of those healthcare classes proved to me that this is how I should do it.”

Gordie nodded, looking ahead, “Well, it’s pretty clear it’s what you’re meant to do. You’re a natural.”

She shook her head, but didn’t hold back her humble smile, “So are you, Gordie.”

He laughed and shoved her shoulder lightly, “Don’t start with me. I might be good at studying, but I’m nothing like you. I saw you, you didn’t even look at your notes when you were teaching me how to do things. And the way you talk to her as your patient, you just- I don’t know, Jude. It’s pretty cool.”

“Stop!" she cried, laughing and putting her hands to her warm cheeks, “Look at me, I’m like a tomato.”

He laughed with her and shook his head. She pulled out her cellphone as it suddenly dinged with a message.

“Oh, crap. Gordie, I’m sorry to do this, but I told Harry I’d help him with Fugitive. Could you update me on her files later?” She asked quickly, shoving her phone back into her pocket.

“Harry? You know he’s like our, political arch nemesis, right?” Gordie asked with a scoff.

“I’ve told you before, he’s not that bad once you really get to know him,” she scolded.

He frowned, “And since when do you play Fugitive?”

“Gordie!” She laughed, “I go to parties and stuff all the time. Besides, all work and no play makes Jude a dull doctor,” she winked.

Gordie rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. “Fine, I’ll show you the files later. Just don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

“Whatever you say, Gordie.”

 

~

 

When Jude arrived at the Town Hall parking lot for Fugitive, the first person she spotted was Grizz, who was speaking with Elle away from the group. 

She approached slowly, not wanting to impose on their conversation, but still wanting to see her brother. When she arrived, his eyebrows flicker up at her in greeting, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he continued speaking.

“There’s this line, from a play I like,” he said to Elle, “It goes, ‘I don’t think God punishes people for specific things…’” He trailed off for a moment, but Jude started to speak.

“‘I think He punishes them in general, for no reason,’” she spoke softly as she finished the quote, looking up at her brother, then to Elle.

“That’s life, right?” He asked weakly, looking between the two, “We make the most of it.” He squeezed Jude’s shoulder lightly as he said that.

Before Elle could say anything, a cop car siren blasted through the cool evening air, causing the group to whip their heads to the street as a cop cruiser sped to a stop.

The driver was none other than Clark, who stepped out from his seat with a smug grin on his face. Jude rolled her eyes, tuning him out. She noticed that Elle had wandered off, a bit closer to the group, and was speaking with Campbell. Jude frowned at that but set it aside.

She turned to Grizz and poked him lightly in the stomach. “‘The Marriage of Bette and Boo,’ huh?” She teased.

He grinned, “Shut it, you know you love that play too.”

“How could I not? We’ve only read it one-hundred times over.”

Grizz opened his mouth to speak, but Harry called for the group’s attention, so he released her form his grip on her shoulder and they shuffled towards the group.

“Uh… okay. Okay!” Harry called from where he stood on the hood of his car, “We’re gonna divide up. Half of us are fugitives, you know who you are,” he smiled to the crowd below him, “The rest are cops. Fugitives are on foot, cops are in the cars. Safety is the church, jail is the gazebo on the green. Fugitives! You have three minutes to make a run for it. The whole fucking town is fair game!” The crowd cheered at that. “All right, divide up, come on,” He ordered.

“Fugitives,” Harry called, looking down at his phone, then raising it in the air, “Your three minutes starts now!” A group of about ten kids took off as fast as they could, and Jude thanked all that is good in the world that she didn’t have to run with them.

Grizz looked surprised when she hung back with the cops, “You’re not a fugitive?” He asked.

She scoffed, “Do I look like I’m capable of breaking the law?”

He snorted, “Uh, yeah, several times over.” She feigned offense, before backing away slowly.

“Oh, the betrayal,” she cried sarcastically, “How dare you- oomph!’ She grunted as she bumped into something, which she quickly figured out after she whipped around was Harry Bingham in all his messy-haired glory.

And he was pointing his pretentious finger right into her face, “You showed up,” he cried triumphantly. 

“Who said I was playing? Maybe I’m here to cheer on my brother dearest,” she smirked.

“Yeah, naturally,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “What made you decide to show up?”

She grinned mischievously, brushing past him and slinking to his car, patting it’s hood, “I’ve been playing doctor all day, and you’ve got one fancy automobile."

He chuckled and shook his head as he followed her, unlocking the doors and allowing her to slide onto the slick seats.

“But, Harry, in all seriousness,” she said, turning towards him as he turned the ignition and the engine purred to life, “You have a really nice fucking car.”

He let out a genuine, startled laugh at her remark, “That I do, Jude, that I do.”

She rolled her window down, grinning as the anticipation for the game to start spread throughout her.

As soon as the car was in gear, he sped out of the parking spot with no hesitation. Jude led out an excited laugh then cheered. as she stuck her hand out the window, feeling the wind against the speed of the car.

Harry glanced at her and grinned, laughing along with her.

She jerked her hand back into the car as her phone buzzed with a message, and she reached out and clutched Harry’s arm as she spoke quickly, “Luke just texted me! Fugitives were spotted on Winpool,” she cried. He gazed at her for a moment, before turning his attention back to the wheel and completely flipping the car around.

Jude felt like she never stopped laughing as Harry whipped through the streets, both of them playfully bickering with each other.

After about half an hour of chasing fugitives all around town, Jude’s body ached from her giggles. “Honestly,” she started as she scanned the streets for any new victims, “I haven’t felt this carefree since we got here.”

“Yeah?” Harry grinned, glancing over at the younger girl, “You outta let loose more often, Jude. You’ll lose your mind here if you don’t.”

She shook her head, “Nah, I've got Grizz. He keeps my head on straight. Besides, there’s lots of work to be done around here,” she rested the back of her head against the seat, turning to look at him lazily, before whispering, “Who do you have?”

He nearly did a double-take as he startled at her serious question, but had no chance to answer as Luke sent her another text. She jerked up and opened the message.

“Fugitive spotted on Maple,” she said excitedly before gasping as a figure whizzed past the headlights of the car, “There!” She cried, and Harry slammed to a stop.

She grabbed his arm and shook it encouragingly, “Come on,” she cried, “Let’s go!” He laughed and jumped out of the car with her, following closely as she took off after the kid. A Jeep had stopped just ahead, spotting the fugitive as well, but the screeching of tires to her right was what really got her attention.

“Shit!” Harry cried as he jumped back onto the grass, pulling Jude with him to avoid the cop car. His feet caught and he fell backwards, effectively dragging Jude down with him, who landed with a grunt on top of him. They gasped for a moment as Clark exited the car, apologizing profusely before they burst out laughing. Jude rolled off of Harry, standing and punching Clark weakly in the shoulder.

“You complete dumbass,” she giggled, “Now we’ve lost our fugitive.”

Harry shook his head, bewildered, “Clark nearly turned us into roadkill, and you’re still concerned with winning the game.”

She poked him in the chest, glaring playfully, “‘You outta let loose more often, Harry,’” she mocked.

 He grinned and swatted her hand away. “Get back in the car, Jude, we’ve got a fugitive to catch.”

 

~

 

Only a couple hours later, Jude found herself sitting side-by-side with Harry in his backyard, her feet floating in his pool. By now, she had a few drinks in her, more than she had at the party at the church, and she was blessed with a hazy buzz.

“I’m telling you, you were a complete bully in elementary school,” Harry insisted, waving his hands around, a solo cup in one of them.

“I was not! I was an angel child, still am, in fact,” she retorted, shaking her head.

He laughed, throwing his hands out in exasperation again, “You totally were! I was in second grade, you were in first, and I admitted to having a massive crush on you, and you told me that I smelled funny,” he cried.

Jude burst out laughing, “Now you’re just making stuff up, how could you possibly remember something that long ago?”

“I was heartbroken! You totally destroyed me.”

She chuckled, “Well I apologize on behalf of my first-grade self, although I can’t take full responsibility for whatever I did at that age.”

“Excuses, excuses…” He muttered.

“Hey!” She exclaimed, “Fine, at least I can say I’m still as nerdy as I was back then.”

He shook his head, smiling, “You’re not nerdy, you’re just… a sophisticated intellectual,” she looked at him disbelievingly, but mouthed a “thank you” anyway, smiling.

He nodded, “Still a bully, though.”

She gasped and shoved his shoulder, but he caught her wrist, pulling her closer, gently. At one moment, she hardly realized what was happening, and the next, Harry fucking Bingham was kissing her.

His hand was on her cheek, his surprisingly soft lips on hers, and then he pulled away. Her dark eyes met his dark eyes, their noses nearly bumping as they breathed the same air. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly, as she turned away, unable to stop the smile that spread on her lips.

“Harry,” she said, knowing he could’ve heard the smile in her voice if he wasn’t looking at her,“What was that?”

“Dunno,” he admitted, smirking. She exhaled through her nose, gathering her thoughts, “But, Kelly-“

“Jude,” he stopped her, shaking his head, “I told you, it’s not a thing anymore.” He reached out, gently moving her hair behind her ear. She glanced up to the sky quickly as thunder rolled in the distance.

He pulled back and looked around, “We should go,” he insisted. 

“Inside,” she offered quietly, he froze as he turned back to her, his lips twitching upward before he stood and offered his hand to help her up.

What felt like seconds later, she found herself in Harry’s room, on his bed, with Harry atop her.

His hands stroked her gently, caressing the skin under her shirt. Hers ran through his soft, messy hair as she sighed when his lips met her neck, her jaw, her collarbone.

Her hands trailed down his back before she flipped them over, lips trailing down his stomach starting from his collarbone, making him exhale happily. His hands held her waist, stroked her face, her lips.

“Is this okay?” He whispered, out of breath, both of them overheating at all the action. Jude nodded quickly, catching his lips with hers, sighing at his expert movements.

He stopped her, albeit reluctantly, and cupped her cheek gently. “Have you ever…?” Slowly, she shook her head, biting her lip. “Not completely.”

He nodded in understanding, “are you one-hundred percent sure, Jude?”

She rested her hand on the one he had placed on her cheek, smiling softly. “Yes, Harry, I trust you.”

He smiled warmly at her, pulling her back down to him, catching her mouth with his own. She smiled into the kiss. So this was letting loose.

 

~

 

To put it simply, Jude’s first time with Harry, her first time ever, was easily the most intimate experiences she had ever had with someone.

He worshipped her body, always making sure she was okay. He treated her carefully, gently, and lovingly. And she reciprocated with everything she had.

Now, she was sprawled over his chest, dressed in one of his t-shirts, her head resting in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, and his lips were in her hair. They listened together to the pouring, thundering rain outside.

Even now, he held her so carefully, yet so firmly. This was the Harry she truly knew. To others, he was a pretentious, spoiled asshole, but he had his moments. Sweet, kind Harry, the Harry she didn’t even realize she liked. She could feel his fingers fiddling with the ends of her dark hair.

After a long, companionable silence, she giggled quietly, “that was…”

“Very good,” he breathed, giving an airy laugh. “For your first time, Jude, that was impressive, to say the least.”

She chuckled, lifting her head to meet his eyes, “What can I say? I’m a quick learner.”

He lifted his head to grin at her, pecking her on the forehead before letting his head fall back to gaze at the ceiling.

“You know, I was serious about liking you in the second grade,” he murmured. “I’ve always been fascinated by you. I guess I just thought you’d never be interested in me.”

She smiled, “Wow, _the_ Harry Bingham. Interested in me? Why, I _never_ -“

“Oh, you’re just noticing _now?”_ He laughed, playing along, but stopped abruptly when the lamp on his bedside table flickered dangerously.

Jude sat up, brows furrowed. She met Harry’s eyes, noticing he looked just as concerned.

“Probably just the storm,” Jude offered, but the loud chatter from downstairs told them that the partygoers thought otherwise.

Once the two reluctantly dressed, they headed downstairs, finding the other teens congregated there. Harry sat atop one of the counters in the kitchen, smiling softly at Jude as she leaned her hip on the marble next to him.

“Hey, what happens when they go out for good?” Gwen asked loudly, “Who fixes them?” She looked around frantically when nobody responded. “I’m serious, who turns them back on?”

“Maybe they never go back on,” a familiar voice said from the corner. Jude turned and spotted her brother, frowning when she noticed he had a distant look on his face, too similar to the one he sported when they lost Emily.

“Hey, you got any flashlights?” Jason asked Harry dutifully.

“I don’t know,” he sighed, “Maybe somewhere.” He looked to Helena when she sighed, “Well, iPhone ones?”

“The battery’s never gonna last,” Jason shook his head.

“All right,” Clark clapped, “expedition to the hardware store for flashlights, who’s in?”

Jude saw Jason raise his hands before the lights flickered out again. “Oh, shit,” Gwen whispered.

“We should get home,” another girl announced, from the corner Grizz was in, “Before it gets really bad out there. Before the streetlights go out.”

“Well, you can all stay here,” Harry offered, before his voice got quiet, insecure, “If you want…” The lights flickered on once again.

“Well,” Helena sighed, throwing her hands up with a frown, “I’m going home.” At that, she started towards the door, a majority of the occupants following.

Harry looked to Jude expectantly and she offered a weak smile, putting her index finger up to motion for him to wait a moment.

She slid through the crowd, doing her best to avoid bumping into people as she made her way towards Grizz.

“Hey,” she mumbled softly as she reached him, standing before him as he sat on the counter, “You doing okay?”

He sent her a small smile, “Sure, but you seem like you’re doing much more than ‘okay,’” he smirked, nodding slightly in Harry’s direction.

She punched him in the arm, blushing slightly and grumbling a weak _shut up._

His lips twitched slightly as he shifted, “Look, you can do whatever you want with whoever you want, I can’t stop you there, but I _really_ don’t trust Harry all that much, Jude. He hasn’t exactly treated girls, or anyone, for that matter, very well in the past. _But_ ,” he raised his eyebrows at her as she started to protest, “I see how he looks at you, and it’s not the same way he looked at Kelly, ever. So just be careful, please.”

Jude would later blame what happened next on the remaining alcohol thrumming through her system, but she suddenly felt very emotional, and very overwhelmed with love.

“Grizz,” she sighed, bumbling towards him, her torso bumping his knees as she leaned forward and naked her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. His arms went around her, a knee-jerk reaction within him.

“I know you’re already very aware of this, you arrogant ass, but you’re the greatest brother ever.”

And that was the truth. Their whole lives, Grizz acted like this, protective but not condescending or patronizing towards her. 

He didn’t blindly trust anyone with his little sister and instead assessed them carefully before openly sharing his opinions about them with her. He didn’t particularly like Harry, but Jude did, and he knows she has an uncanny ability to see right through people.

She was a teenager, just like he was. He went to parties, so she could too. Jude recognized this maturity in her brother years ago, and adored this trait in him, much like many other traits he had.

His chest vibrated against her cheek as he chuckled, “I definitely know. But seriously, I’m just looking out for you, kiddo. Just like I always do.”

“I _know,”_ she said, pulling away, “But it’s not like you’re obligated to do a thing for me, and you always have, no matter what. I think you’re gonna make a fantastic father one day, G.”

“One day? I thought I already was a father,” he teased, hopping down from the countertop. He chuckled as she scoffed, and he rested his hand on her shoulder. “Let’s hit the hardware store with Clark and them, okay?”

Jude nodded sheepishly, “We actually really need to, I may or may not have forgotten to grab flashlights and batteries from the drugstore the other day,” she muttered as they approached Harry, Clark, and Jason, who were talking together where Harry sat.

“Hey,” Jason greeted as they reached them, “You two ready? We’re gonna take one of Harry’s cars to get there faster, before everything’s gone.”

They both nodded, and Jude grinned widely, looking to Harry and winking, “I call shotgun.”

 

~

 

It was already complete chaos when they arrived. Somebody had shattered the glass of the door, and kids were swarming inside, a new person running out every few seconds with armfuls of supplies.

“Damn,” Jude muttered as she threw open the passenger door once they had stopped, the boys following as she scurried into the store, hopping over the glass shards as she tugged at her hood to avoid the rain.

Harry caught her gaze as he quickly surveyed the store, smiling weakly before her brother, Clark, and Jason filed in beside them. Grizz took her side immediately when he noticed the chaos in the store.

Clark spotted a kid with a grey beanie approaching the door with an absurd amount of flashlight packages in his arms.

“Hey, hey hold up!” Clark cried to the kid, “You gotta give us some,” he said quickly, pointing to him as another kid with thick, dark eyebrows came up behind his friend.

“Get your own,” the guy with the beanie sneered.

“Dude, you can share,” Jason insisted, stepping forward.

“You can eat my asshole, Jason,” the thick-eyebrowed kid snapped, looking him up and down.

Jude cursed under her breath as Jason’s face contorted and he reached his arms out, snatching the kid by his sweatshirt and dragging him towards the door, effectively tossing him like a rag doll out into the rain.

“Jason, no,” Jude tried to catch his arm as he stormed out in pursuit of the kid he just threw, but he swatted her off, blinded by rage. She followed him into the rain anyway, ignoring Grizz’s and Harry’s protests as they went after her, only to be cut off by other altercations.

She froze a few feet outside the door as she witnessed the scene unfolding before her, blinking away the endless amounts of rain streaming down her face. More teens started shouting in rage, shoving each other and slowly, then rapidly escalating into full-blown fights.

She recoiled as she saw a dark figure racing towards her through the rain, clearly thinking she was involved too. Panicking, she braced herself for the impact, but her eyes shot wide open as a familiar figure collided with the charging one.

“Grizz!” She cried, starting to move towards her brother to stop him from the fight, but ducked on reflex when a loud crash echoed from behind her.

She turned to investigate, recognizing the thick-eyebrow kid from earlier, who had just smashed through the car window she had arrived there in.

She stomped forward, shoving him from behind, “What the hell, dumbass?” She snapped, but he just shoved her back, storming off and leaving her there in her bewilderment. She spun around, overwhelmed by the amount of violence surrounding her. Through the crowd, she met Will’s wild eyes, not registering her surprise to see him there.

His head flicked around frantically, taking in the chaos as well, “Hey!” He cried, trying to maintain some order, but nobody paid him any mind.

Jude stepped forward to meet up with him, to get away but ducked violently as a deafening explosion sounded, just a few feet behind her.

That damn kid set the fucking car on fire. More echoes of glass shattering sounded throughout the street, as more people found more shops to break into. Suddenly, someone was tugging on her arm frantically, trying to pull her out of the chaos.

“Harry!” She cried as she came to her senses, matching his pace as he gripped her hand and ran them to an overhang where a group of people cowered out of the rain, out of the violence.

She leaned into him as they panted, addressing the group they joined. Jude found herself next to Will, who stood close to Kelly. Next to them, Cassandra and Gordie. Jude only addressed them faintly, panting as she searched the darkness for her brother, maybe Clark or Jason.

But too many dark figures sped around, too fast and hidden in the shadows to make out.

Harry caught her gaze, his face just as shocked as hers, as the rest of the teens. The entire group ducked when someone smashed through a window, maybe twenty feet from where they stood, and looted through a shop.

They all gazed at each other, eyes wide and frightened. Their nights were about to get a lot longer.

 

~

 

Harry walked her home that night, too worried to let her wander the town alone amidst all the chaos.

Both of them were too shaken up to really talk, so when they arrived at her door, she offered him a small kiss on the cheek as a thank you. Instead, he caught her lips, cupping her face gingerly.

“Have a safe trip home,” she had whispered to him, and he smiled before she disappeared into her house.

She was meant with a slightly frantic Grizz, who was seated on the kitchen island and told her he had been worried sick since they got separated at the brawl.

She apologized for keeping him waiting but quickly scolded him for getting involved in the fighting when she noticed the darkening bruise above his right eyebrow. Luckily, that was the only place he got hit, but she sat him down and applied a cream to it anyway.

Now, since both of them were too wound up to sleep, not that they had been sleeping soundly anyway, they lounged in their pajamas on the couch in their living room. Grizz’s head was in her lap, eyes closed as he listened to her read, “ _The Catcher in the Rye_ ,” aloud for possibly the hundredth time. She ran her fingernails gently along his scalp, through his soft hair.

They had reached around page seventy-something when Jude’s phone rang, her ringtone echoing through the empty house.

Grizz grunted in protest when she removed her hand from his hair, setting the book down to check her phone.

“Gordie? Is everything okay?” She asked, answering the call immediately when she saw who it was. She placed her hand back on Grizz’s hair to appease the heated glare he was sending her from her lap.

“ _Yeah, nothing serious, I just- I wanted to update you. You’ve been pretty involved so far but there was something you missed earlier today,”_ Gordie spoke on the other side, sounding hesitant.

Her heart pounded a bit faster, despite his reassurances, “Go on…”

“ _Right, so, that solar eclipse from earlier, that I said was predictable, scheduled, apparently I was wrong.”_

“What do you mean, Gordie?” She inquired quietly, the hand in Grizz’s hair slowing.

“ _Bean came by earlier, she’d been doing research on our situation all day. She said she looked through this book, the ‘_ Farmer’s Almanac.’ _The next scheduled solar eclipse in North America isn’t until 2024.”_

“Shit,” she breathed, leaning her head back against the couch., “I knew something was off about that, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Now I know, I guess. So what does that mean, we’re not on Earth anymore, or something?”

At that statement, Grizz’s eyes shot open, brows furrowed as he frowned at her. She frowned back, sadly.

“ _I don’t know,”_ Gordie muttered, “ _That’s the first thought that came to my mind, too… We may not even be in the same solar system”_ He sighed, “ _Look, I don’t mean to scare you Jude, but Cassandra and Bean both agreed that you should know. We need as many big brains as we can get around here.”_

Jude smiled slightly but was too disturbed by the issue at hand to fully absorb the praise. She played along, anyway, “You flatter me, Gordie. Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it.”

She sighed, thinking a moment, “You still have that telescope of yours, right? We should examine this a little further, see if anything else is off up there. Maybe it’ll give us a clue.”

“ _That sounds like a good idea. We could take anything we can find. We can talk more about this another time, with all of us together. Go get some sleep, okay?”_ Gordie instructed. Jude agreed and returned the sentiment before hanging up, exhaling deeply as she set her phone aside.

“We’re in pretty deep, huh?” Grizz muttered, staring at the ceiling.

“Yeah, G,” Jude whispered, continuing to run her fingers through his hair, “We are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [word count: 7,389]
> 
> [edited: --/--/--]
> 
>  
> 
> Not my best work and a bit shorter than the first chapter. I didn't really like how I wrote the fights outside the hardware store so I might rewrite that at some point but we'll see. Hope you enjoyed anyway :)

**Author's Note:**

> [word count: 10,843]
> 
> [edited: 06/09/19]  
> [post-editing notes: I added a bit more Grizz fluff because he's precious, but in doing that accidentally added a good 700+ words. oops ;)]
> 
>  
> 
> This is going to undergo some pretty heavy editing soon, but the gist of the story won't change :)
> 
> Feel free to call me out on any mistakes or plot holes!


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